Conference recognises that nationally Mental Health services have been underfunded for many years, and still remain a ‘Cinderella’ service in the NHS. One effect of this is that mental health workers are not seen as having a high status within the NHS, and other health workers may have little knowledge or understanding of their position. […]
Conference motions
Conference recognises that the historic decision made at the 2007 Health Conference, to bring all health workers (except doctors) within the remit of the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB), was made after many years of non-clinical staff having their interests put in second place after clinical groups. The Pay Review Body (PRB), which previously covered […]
This conference believes the introduction of top up payments for private treatments not available on the NHS will lead to a two-tiered healthcare system which already exists to some extent. This could lead to a situation where those who can afford to pay for the newer, more expensive treatments will get them and the poor […]
Conference calls on the HSGE to raise the issue of travel costs following organisational change at the NHS Staff Council. We believe that staff forced to relocate as a result of organisational change should 1. Be paid a full realistic cost for the additional travel incurred. 2. Be compensated for any additional costs such as […]
Conference notes with concern the number of cases that are being handled by NHS Counter Fraud Service covering England and Wales and other agencies. Conference notes the lack of transparent guidelines on what cases are referred to NHS Counter Fraud Service and what cases are handled locally by employers. Conference also notes with concern the […]
This Conference reiterates the importance of health and safety at work as a key concern for our members working in the health service and continues to place this at the heart of our organising and negotiating agenda for health workers. Conference notes that needlestick injuries are a common issue of concern for many staff groups […]
Conference welcomes the progress made in effecting Motion 59 from Conference 2008. The Service Group Executive has established an effective sub group which has catalogued a series of recommendations to ensure with the compliance with the protocol raised in 2004 in line with Rule D 2.9.5. The Health sector has also fed into the overarching […]
It is estimated that 10-15% of women suffering gynaecological problems have endometriosis, a chronic and debilitating disease which impacts on women’s lives, causing pain, heavy periods and infertility. The majority of cases are diagnosed when women are between the ages of 25 and 40 – when they are likely to be part of the working […]
Conference notes with disgust that many NHS employers contract Security Services from Security firms which pay staff on the national minimum wage and/or zero hours contracts often with little continuity of base. Conference notes that it is difficult to organise successfully within these employers. Conference believes that NHS employers have a duty to ensure that […]
Conference passed a motion in 2006 that asked the Service Group Executive to call on the NHS Staff Council to address the lack of increase to subsistence and overnight allowances for staff. The motion requested that as a matter of urgency, they consider: i.Raising subsistence allowances to the level they would have reached if year-on-year […]
Conference notes that for a relatively small number of people, the gender they are assigned at birth does not match their internal sense of where they exist in relation to being female or male – their gender identity. Some transition to live permanently and completely in the gender with which they identify. Conference further notes […]
Despite health service measures to encourage women to attend cervical cancer screening sessions, the number of women being screened has dropped significantly, with the number of women aged 25-64 dying from cervical cancer increasing by 6.4% during 2007. Research in December 2008 has also shown that there is a clear link between income and cervical […]
This conference believes that a safe working environment is a right for everyone. There is a requirement under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety at Work Act 2003 and the Fire Scotland Act 2005 for employers to provide adequate resources to ensure that the workplace has taken […]
Conference notes the incredibly moving contribution last year from Dorothy Ngoma, of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi: an organisation set up with the support of UNISON. The hardships faced by our colleagues in health care in the developing world and the patients they serve are immense, complicated, saddening but avoidable with […]
Conference notes that under the banner of Keep the NHS Working UNISON continues to campaign against the damaging effects caused by the marketisation of NHS services and the growing role of the private sector in delivering healthcare. This is particularly important at a time of global financial crisis where governments across the world have been […]